Neutral Header

Monday, February 15, 2016

Gorgeous Gold Bracelets

My parents have been visiting this week and that means we go shopping! My folks are avid antique collectors and mom has a special affinity for jewelry. And when I say jewelry I mean fine jewelry as opposed to costume pieces. What's the difference? Fine jewelry is made from precious metals usually gold, silver or platinum and has precious or semi precious stones, in other words - the real thing!

We found a few gold bracelets to add to each of our collections at very good prices. Antique and thrift stores are a great place to shop for jewelry but it helps to be informed. Gold pieces can have many different markings so here are some basic identifiers.

karat markings- usually 10 k, 14 k, or 18 k - Pure 24 karat gold is very soft so it gets mixed with other metals to strengthen it. The karat number represents how much of the gold is pure.

12 k g.f. - this means the piece is 12 karat gold filled. Gold filled is a thick sheet of gold wrapped around a wire and then formed into jewelry.

gold plate, gold washed or vermeil (pronounced ver-may) is a thin coat of gold applied often over sterling silver.

Can you tell the difference in this photo? The bottom bracelet is 12 k g.f. the next one is costume, the next 2 are 14 karat, the next one has opals set into gold plated sterling and the tiny one is 14k with little CZ's. All beautiful! I paid $4 for the costume piece by Sara Coventry and Mom paid only $40 for the opal bracelet. One of the benefits of gold is it never loses it's luster or has to be polished. Of course, it can get dirty! Clean it with mild dish soap and a soft brush or cloth.

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Follow me on Pinterest

About Me

Bonjour! I'm Karee and I grew up with a love of antiquing remembering with fondness outings with my parents in the Pennsylvania countryside.
After many years of being an avid collector I turned my passion into my profession! I've been an antiques dealer for fifteen years focusing on the treasures of France, England and Italy. I'm always shopping, so check my blog frequently for newly listed items for sale and ways to turn your home into your castle!